Mind’s On – Terms Review What is Weather? What is Climate? What does LOWERN stand for?

Continental and Maritime Climates

Why Does Canada Have Such Different Climates? Canada extends for a great distance from north to south. Different elevations produce different climate conditions. Coastal regions have different climates from inland regions. Wind and pressure systems move weather conditions from one part of the country to another.

Continental Climate Areas far from the ocean and large lakes in the interior of land masses have a continental climate. The temperature range is great because there is no large water body to moderate the hot temperatures of summer and the cold temperatures of winter.

Maritime Climate Coastal regions have a maritime climate. The temperature range is relatively small and the level of precipitation is high due to the moist air from the neighboring body of water.

Climate Graphs A CLIMATE GRAPH is a combination graph that displays temperature and total precipitation data. They help us to analyze different climate regions visually. Temperature Always RED and drawn as a LINE graph. Always on the LEFT () side of the graph in °C Precipitation Always BLUE and drawn as a BAR graph Always on the RIGHT ()side of the graph in mm

Practice It! Use the information on the Climate Graph worksheet to: Analyze and answer the questions on the front Plot a climate graph on the back

Analysis of Climate Data Temperature Range Subtract the lowest average monthly temperature from the highest average monthly temperature Snowfall Equivalent Estimated by taking each month with a temperature equal to or below 0˚C and multiplying the monthly precipitation by 10 to get snowfall equivalent Example 10mm of rainfall = 100mm of snowfall Length of Growing Season 5.6°C is the “magic” temperature Add up the days of all months that have an average temperature over 5.6°C This can be marked in green Total Precipitation Add up all the average monthly precipitations

Determining if a Climate is Maritime or Continental 1. Temperature Range The reflects the difference between highest and lowest temperature Continental Large temp. range (greater than or equal to 25°C) Maritime Small temp. range (less than 25°C)

2. Total Precipitation The amount of rain or snow over a year Continental  Less than 1000 mm Maritime  Greater than or equal to 1000 mm 3. Seasonal Distribution The season with the highest precipitation Continental Summer maximum Maritime Winter maximum If a location has two out of the three characteristics, the location will be classified as such (Maritime or Continental).